Baloch missing persons: Relatives receive threats to end strike

/tribune.com.pk

The relatives of Baloch missing persons have been threatened to end their hunger strike camp set up outside the Quetta Press Club, confirmed Qadir Baloch, father of missing Baloch Republican Party (BRP) leader Jaleel Raiki.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Qadir accused the government functionaries and a pro-government organisation of sending him threats through cell phone and by visiting his residence and hunger strike camps.

“We had set up this camp about one and half year ago which is the sole platform for the relatives of missing persons to raise their voice. Families from far-flung areas come to register their protest,” he said.

He said that two men had visited the camp and asked to him to end the strike. “He told me if I want my son alive then I must end the strike. I argued that if you people release all the missing persons then we will end our strike.”

Qadir said he had a list of those missing persons whose relatives are on strike.

“We have been on token hunger strike for the past 522 days and are demanding immediate release of our missing relatives. Our voice has been heard by international humanitarian organisations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others; and now some elements are threatening us to end the strike,” he added.

Qadir, who was sitting alone at the camp, said he realises the pain that a family feels after losing a loved one. “I informed the HRCP and other organizations about these threats.”

The relatives of the missing persons said they observed hunger strike outside Supreme Court, National Press Club and in Karachi but to no avail.

According to Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VFBM), an organisation striving for the recovery of missing persons, over 8,000 people are missing from Balochistan and they have complete information or data about 1,300 missing persons. They said the mutilated and bullet riddled bodies of over 200 Baloch missing persons were found dumped.